In June, Lauren Ballinger and Matthew Leib, former interns at W Magazine and The New Yorker respectively, sued the publisher and intend to ask a judge to give their suit class-action status on behalf of other interns. Leib claimed that he had received stipends of $300 to $500 for each of the two summers he had worked at the prestigious weekly, where he reviewed and proofread articles. The case is ongoing, but in court documents, the publisher denied the interns’ substantive allegations.

The company did not respond to a call for comment on Wednesday.

Unpaid or low-paid stints have long offered young people a foot in the door in industries such as media and non-profits, but the tide has been turning against these roles as interns themselves, college career centers and corporations question their merit. Read More »

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Written and edited by The Wall Street Journal’s Management & Careers group, At Work covers life on the job, from getting ahead to managing staff to finding passion and purpose in the office. Tips, questions? email us.